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“I think the problem here is that we’ve got three second-place cars,” I said to my colleagues Scott Evans and Mike Febbo as we sat down to a late lunch after a day of hard driving. The task at hand was to sort out a finishing order for our three contenders. Surprise, surprise — there are no perfect cars. But in terms of the $50K six-cylinder luxury sport sedan segment, we were stymied — at first — by three of the best.

In order of newness, the closely competitive cars are the Cadillac ATS 3.6, the BMW 335i Sport, and the Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport. At around $42,000, each car has an engine good for north of 300 hp, an automatic transmission, four doors, and rear drive. Between the lightest and the heaviest is a scant 107 pounds. Dimensionally, they’re all within inches of each other. Check this out: “Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar.” That’s from the charts at the end of this article. The suspension info is identical for all three.

Perhaps a bit of history will help us choose a victor. Awhile back, we performed an eight-car comparison featuring the then-brand-new BMW 328i, and it blew the doors off the competition. “First place with a competition-killing bullet” is how I described the outcome. The puny-engined Mercedes C250 came in third place. We all liked the way the Benz drove, but the laggy 1.8-liter turbo simply couldn’t get out of its own way, and the lot of us judged the turbocharged inline-five Volvo S60 T5 to be one spot better.

Notable by its absence was the ATS, but Cadillac hadn’t released it yet. When we finally did get our hands on the all-new ATS, we adored it, with one glaring gripe: the transmission. The manual shifter in the 2.0T was so poor that not only did it cost the little Caddy first place to the BMW 328i Sport in that particular battle, but General Motors stopped production of said transmission “cold,” and is installing different bushings in all ATS manuals going forward. Again, nobody’s perfect, even if BMW, Cadillac, and Mercedes-Benz all aspire to be. Back to the problem at hand: How to decide a winner?

We’ll start with performance, and even though it makes the least amount of gumption (on paper), the BMW 335i is much quicker than the other two in a straight line. Of course, BMW is known for radically underrating the output of its turbo motors. Figure that 330 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque are closer to actual output than the 300/300 BMW claims. Either way, the sports-car-quick 335i hits 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and the quarter mile in 13.4 seconds at 103.7 mph. The 3.6-liter V-6 in the ATS is rated at 321 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque, and managed to go 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds. The Mercedes’ 3.5-liter V-6 is down on power compared with the Cadillac’s, producing “just” 302 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque, yet managed to blip the Caddy to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds. Blame the gearing. The ATS and the C350 require an identical 14 seconds flat in the quarter mile; however, the Caddy’s horsepower advantage shows up in the trap speeds: 100.6 mph for the Mercedes and 101.9 for the Cadillac. So, winner BMW.

But things get confusing when you look at the figure-eight times. All three cars are within 0.2 second of each other (BMW, 25.9; Caddy, 26.0; Benz, 26.1). This tells you that, in the real world, the BMW’s dragstrip advantage is mitigated by the handling prowess of the other two. Let’s break it down a little further. There are 1320 feet in a quarter mile, and our figure-eight test is 1600 feet long. We know — because of the BMW’s top trap speed — that if we ran to 1600 feet in a straight line, the BMW would still be the winner. At 1320 feet covered, it’s 0.6 second ahead of the other two. However, start turning the steering wheel and factor in braking and road-holding, and suddenly the BMW isn’t so fleet.

In fact, the cornering champ is the Cadillac, which recorded a very sticky 0.91 max g-load. As Evans pointed out, “Anything that runs 0.9 g is impressive.” But these are just numbers, and besides, the BMW is still the fastest around our figure eight, even if the other two gain ground through the turns.

These are luxury cars, so our conversation turned to everyday livability. “The rear seat in the ATS is a deal breaker for me,” said 6-foot-2 Febbo. Evans (5’9″) and I (5’11”) looked askance, explaining that the rear seats aren’t that small. True, the sloping roof of the Caddy does cut into headroom, but that’s not what Febbo was concerned about. “I can’t sit behind myself in the driver’s seat. Not only that, but with a baby seat in the back, there’s no way an adult could fit in the front seat.” The BMW does have the roomiest back seat by 3.0 cubic feet, and its 17.0-cu-ft trunk is largest by 4.6 cubic feet. The 10.2-cu-ft trunk of the ATS is tiny to the point of looking like it’s from a different class of vehicle. Said Febbo, “My relatives drove Cadillacs because three relatives from another family fit easily without disassembly.”

We were all disappointed with the interior build quality of the 335i, the most expensive car here. Said Evans, “Got a lot of creaks and squeaks from the center console and stack. Not impressed.” Febbo was meaner: “The dashboard squeaks like a Styrofoam cooler. Really? This is a $50,000 car?” Actually, Febbo, the BMW is a $55,870 car. The other two are just over $49,000 as tested. Moreover, the BMW’s cabin desigh left us all a little cold.

The Cadillac, on the other extreme, is bling personified. From the aluminum strips with the exploded six-duck badge to the chrome waterfall to the metal-look haptic controls, everything’s shiny. Too shiny, said we. And the top cover on the ATS’ instrument cluster developed a rattle before the day was done.

The best cabin of the three belongs to the Mercedes-Benz. First of all, we collectively couldn’t get over the red seatbelts. When colored seatbelts show up in a car that costs well over $100,000, they come across as pretentious. But in a mini-executive sedan like the C350, they’re almost subversive. Like showing up to the weekly sales meeting with a safety pin through your lapel. And even though the C-Class’ interior is dated compared with the other two, we liked it best. Febbo opined, “It might not be an S-Class, but it still has just a sliver of whatever it is that makes the big dictator-mover so special.”

It wouldn’t be an ATS review if we didn’t spend some time discussing (or maybe just dissing) Cadillac’s CUE system. Febbo hates it: “While CUE is new to me, even after a month, I would still think it sucks. It’s two generations behind Audi, BMW, and Mercedes.” Evans disagrees: “I like CUE. It’s a lot like an Apple device. I find it intuitive.” I’m philosophically disappointed with it. As you may know, cars from Bavaria (BMW) are designed in Ingolstadt (Audi) and vice versa. The Germans shamelessly copy each other tit for tat. See CLS, A7, and 6 Series Gran Coupe for proof. As we know, Cadillac straight up stole the 3 Series recipe when it cooked up the ATS — the Caddy is within less than an inch of the F30 in wheelbase, length, width, and height. I have no problem with that. As Woody Allen said, “When you steal, steal from the best.”

But Cadillac didn’t copy iDrive (which is now excellent) or Mercedes-Benz’ COMAND (it’s pretty much OK) or Audi’s MMI (good, but the damn wheel still spins backwards). No, Cadillac copied Detroit, specifically Ford‘s MyTouch system. Not only am I with Team Febbo in saying CUE doesn’t work so hot and looks boring, but it works differently from the (German) cars it competes with. In other words, Cadillac, don’t steal from Lincoln.

We finally decided that what really counts in this segment is how the cars drive. After all, that was the determining criteria we used when naming the 328i the winner of our eight-car comparison. On this day, one car shone much brighter on the winding roads than the other two. That car is the Cadillac ATS. From Evans: “This chassis…wow. Unbelievable. I’m just blown away by how well this car drives. Those two are luxury sport sedans. This is a luxury sports car.”

Indeed. When I was pushing the Caddy hard up in the mountains above Malibu, I was also overcome by the sensation that I was driving a sports car. Something very similar to a Nissan 370Z, in fact. As odd as it may sound, Cadillac has built a car that goes around corners better than it runs in a straight line. And as for straight-line driving, the Cadillac’s ride is on the firm side of firm, and that’s in Touring mode. When you switch to Sport, the ride becomes harsh. Febbo explained, “I like the suspension, which makes me wonder if most people will think it too stiff. Most companies, like BMW, have become scared of aggressive rebound rates, but Cadillac has the balls to go hard.”

Cadillac has replaced its legendary “waftability” with a jackhammer. Fans of sport-biased cars are going to love how the top-spec FE3-suspended ATS doesn’t float down the road. Your mother will not.

The seats don’t help, either. Now, before you go cancelling your subscription over yet another chapter of “Motor Trend Hates GM Seats,” let me tell you that the Cadillac has the best seats here — for sporty driving. They remind me of the thin, snug thrones in the new Porsche Boxster. In fact, they’re quite unlike the squish-tastic black leather La-Z-Boys in the BMW.

Said Febbo, “BMW should not be allowed to continue manufacturing these seats without ventilation.” The C350’s seats were much more livable than either of the others, though it does feel like you’re sitting up a few inches higher in the Benz. Back to the Cadillac: While the seats are fabulous for canyon carving, they do beat you up over a long distance. Once again, we have an area where the Mercedes is best of the bunch. And it was the second best in driving pleasure.

“Feels lighter and smaller than the BMW. Very light on its feet. Turn-in is very sharp, so it dives into corners nicely. The C350’s steering, however, is just too light, even in Sport,” logged Evans. To me, the Benz is like a 7/8th-scale Cadillac. Almost — but not quite — as capable or as fun to drive as the suddenly class-leading ATS. Close, but no $515 lease payment. As for the BMW, well, since we first drove the new 335i, no one on staff has been particularly smitten. The consensus is that the 328i is a better-driving car.

Part of the problem is that, while the 328i’s suspension feels properly tuned, the 335i’s feels as if BMW just dropped in a heavier, more powerful engine and didn’t bother recalibrating anything. Said Febbo, “BMW is the perfect example of a company afraid to use damping rates for handling. Rates are way too soft to keep body movement controlled in corners with bumps.” Put another way, the explosively quick engine can put the car into situations the chassis doesn’t like. We also felt the BMW’s steering feel was the worst of the bunch, with the Benz second, and the Cadillac dominating. Said Evans of the ATS, “The steering is so sharp, so precise. Overboosted perhaps, but it delivers.” Added Febbo, “Even in Sport+, the BMW steering isn’t nearly as good as the ATS’,” The Cadillac even had the best-feeling brakes. However, we all felt its old, just six-speed transmission was last-place stuff. The Cadillac also had the worst observed fuel economy, mostly because of its antiquated gearbox.

So that’s our story. While flawed, the Cadillac ATS is the best $50,000 sport sedan of the three. Audi couldn’t make an S4 materialize in time for this comparison, so we can’t say with certainty the Caddy is the best you can buy. However, I’ll go out on a limb and say it is. Summarized Mr. Evans, “When we did that eight-car comparison the 328i won, I remember getting out of the other cars, climbing into the BMW, and thinking, ‘This is it. This is how you do it.’ I had the same feeling today driving the Cadillac ATS.”

For me, the big surprise is just how good the C350 Sport is. If you could choke the enthusiast driver out of me, the Mercedes is the car I’d have. For Febbo, it is. “This would be the one I’d take home if it were my money. So much fun to drive; feels more like a classic sport sedan. The C350 rotates well, it slides, and it responds to throttle position.” However, two first-place votes for the Cadillac trump Mike’s single vote for the Benz. All three of us had the BMW in last place. While still an overall excellent car, there are just too many things lacking. Additionally, the more than $6000 premium over the other two makes no sense from behind the wheel.

If you could combine the engine and transmission from the 335i with the steering feel and chassis from the ATS and stuff it all into the C350’s wonderful package, you would have the perfect sport sedan. Until then, choose Cadillac.

1st: Place: Cadillac ATS 3.6

Nürburgring Nordschleife-developed chassis beats the Germans at their own game. However, the dated transmission and CUE need fixing.

2nd Place: Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport

Surprisingly satisfying-to-drive sport sedan. We all love the red seatbelts. However, it’s just not as capable as a certain sedan from Detroit.

3rd Place: BMW 335i Sport

Expensive, though the underrated engine does give you loads of power. Damping rates too soft for a car with so much grunt.

Horsepower

2012 BMW 3-Series News and Reviews

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